Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1887-02-11

fee But he was mute. under strict orders
not to speak or signal 10 the prisoner, as
his baker-like shovel reached in my morsel
of tainted food.
Perdition how ! strove TO make him
speak If he only would curse me, abuse
me, anything even his profanity would
have sounded as melody in my solitude,
never knew what music there was in
the human voice till in that dungeon where
it never sounded and where | soon grew
startled at my own.
The post chapain's was the only human
voice heard for weeks, and his only once
for my levity shocked him so that he gave
me up as an irredeemable reprobate. He
offered IA prayer for me, however, courte-
/ ously kneeling with him on the stone floor.
/ But he never came again
He told me, what my occasionally allow
ed letters from my friends had too plainly
informed me- that there was no hope of es-
cape from the fate that seemed to them and
the outside world to be staring me in the
face. Every possible effort had been made,
every available influence pressed into ser
vice with the President, and he had posi-
lively declined interfering with the iudg-
ment Of the court-martial. The worthy
chaplain corroborated their sad information
Said he:
for your life ends in few DAYS
Here was food for reflection, surely In
the prime and vigor Of early manhood, my
veins thrilling with the bounding energy of
young blood life just hegun, with its plans,
schemes and purposes all to work out a
young wife and two children with all the
hopes Of JOY existence with them gave
ambition, walks all wide before me await
ing 10 be trod what burning pages yet un-
read in the book of life
In battle. the half paragraph Of life
is suddenly left with dash --. an unseen,
unielt bullet cut, on without thought the
might be.
But here, alone in silent darkness, the
heavy wonder would come, 80 strong in
health and hope Of life, is death 50 near =
Life's retrospect. as memory was forced
10 the review, presented so much TO he un-
done 50 much yet to be done. 50 much Just
begun that should he finished
Is It pussible--is it true-ths hale. hear
~ healthy body is SO soon to feed the worms,
Are these 1.-the limbs to walk out in funeral
pageant. my own funeral Quick, active
/ firm "a the soldiers who 90 with MEAN
to march out with them and they back with
] ont me to go forth from this dark, living
/ tomb. to give my longing eyes one quaft of
/ sunlight, and then shut them forever in the
| eternal darkness of deaths real grave {.
Am | Ia die to quit to he no more ,
talked Of day or week and then forgot
ten Is it ] who am 10 look at those twelve
soldiers in silent rank twelve PAGES at my
front 10 hear the command Ready
aim-hre :" and hear the death message
feel deaths bullet, and know death, all in
one brief instaut-and then forever know
no more:
For the life Of me could not say. YES.
| it is L. had no such feeling, and why
cannot tell. / knew the law military
| knew If was found guilty as spy. no
| power but that of the pardoning preroga-
| tive of the Chief Executive could avert
death ! knew all had been done by nv
/ friend, that could be done. and without
avail Still, | could not think that was
| to die so soon Such reflections, RETROSPECT
/ tnnS. self arguingS came to me daily, a.
the time drew near appointed for my exc
/ cuton.
Finally it came Shall / ever forget that
! November morning in '63
They had told me that ! would be taken
out at 9 O'Clock in the morning would he
allowed an officers room in the barracks.
where my parents. sisters and brothers
would meet me and spend my last few
hours with me.
When taken out they had to seat me in
the outer guard room quarter of an hour,
till my eyes became accustomed to the
| piercing glare of sunshine
Then they took me to the room where |
found father, mother, sisters brothers and
a minister. 1t was the quarters of an off
Ger of the post and very comfortably fur
nished.
Just outside-we could see them through
! he 1t e
men, selected as the unwilling executioners
of the sentenced man.
| Telling me | should have until the last
minute before three O'Clock, but then would
have to GO, the colonel locked the door and
| left me with my friends.
They had secured the privilege of spend
/ ing these last few hours with me- | knew
/ to comfort and console, perhaps to strength
en- me for the fearful ordeal through which
/ | had to pass. But / had To comfort and
console them
/ My father was broken down. 1t must
he hurIid strain on fathers feelings to
sit and look at his son, in the prime of man
hood, and count off the few intervening
minutes of that boys remaining life.
Brothers and sisters could only gaze at
me IN speechless misery, appalled, by the
gloomy shadow of death that was then cast
! ing about me
| had to become CONSIDER, and strained
every nerve, called forth every power to
smile | would not permit the trembling
man of God to offer prayer, knowing his
words would fall upon those loving ears as
death walls rs clods falling on my coffin
| drew them 10y everything interesting |
could think of, 10 contemplate anything but
my impending doom.
As | would about succeed the little clock
ON the mamtel would strike. or a footstep
on the stair outside, or some movement of
the garrison. would recall them with sign
To the horrid present.
The little clock on the mantel seemed to
tick loudly as the clatter of "A mill.
1t struck the half-hours as well as the
full stroke; and it seemed to me its little
whir would buzz and the tiny hammer
strike every five minutes Ten half-past
Eleven and "A half Twelve Half One Il
Heavens how it licked off the seconds
galloped the minutes and startled our pain
ed ears with'those tleeting half hours
We were seated around the room, close
To each other as we could get. Father on
one side, mother on the other of me, a hand
clasped by each, As the little monitor ON
the mantel broke the gathering stiffness
with its metal voice crying the half-hour
gone
just then step sounded without, a hand
touched the knob, the kew turned in the
! lock, the door was thrown open and the
colonel stood looking in upon us.
lnstlnctively | jumped to my feet as
father and mother sprang to my side,
hand each upon my shoulder.
How rapidly thought does its office in
such emergencies
My first thought was, their dining hour
approaches, and these officers wish to get
through this unpleasant duty before dinner.
For minute-it seemed eternity, and
that the little clock had ceased to tell off
time-we stood, the colonel and myself,
silent, gazing sternly at each other,
He evidently expected me to speak. But
| did not, would not,
At length he slowly. drew from his peck
ct slip of paper, q n saying, Captain,
have just receive5~t6is telegram, read,
while we gazed MSon. him in strained, lis
tening eagernesE "A>
The execution sfEG Sentence in the
case of Capt NlliaRk 4sgFGordon is post
poned until further orfless. BY order of
"THE president"
Not one of us spoke
you can stay with your friends till
three. Then you go back TO your cell, - he
said, closed the door and left us hurriedly.
Father drew a long, trembling sigh and
sank slowly 10 the floor, where mother had
already fallen. Their support gone, the
sudden, unlooked-for lifting of the cloud
of death, the rush of relief from the hor-
rid nightmare, caused IA quick revulson of
feeling that made me limp as rag, weak
as "A dying babe. And /, too, sank between
my parents.
The minister said something | did not
hear, brothers and sisters knelt around us,
and heard the preacher pouring out a
prayer of gratitude that the dark shadow